Our Hen House: Vegan & Animal Rights Movement | Stories from the Frontlines of Animal Liberation

Mariann Sullivan dives into the animal agriculture industry’s mounting concerns, from suspicious attacks on farmer advocacy groups to the triple threat of disease outbreaks threatening farmed animals nationwide. This episode explores how Big Ag’s propaganda machine works overtime to discredit genuine farmer coalitions while simultaneously battling an unprecedented rise in health crises that their own practices help perpetuate. This episode explores: How the industry attempts to discredit Farm Action, a genuine farmer advocacy group, simply because it supports animal welfare measures like Prop 12 The panic spreading through Texas as New World Screwworm flies threaten to cross the border, prompting a $750 million taxpayer-funded response Why a 16% jump in farm animal antibiotic use signals a dangerous backslide that contributes to 35,000 human deaths annually The emergence of Nipah virus in India that poses a devastating threat to human health Worrying about the effect on workers forced to “depopulate” millions of birds during avian flu outbreaks who they would otherwise be raising for slaughter We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today.  Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

In this compelling episode, Mariann Sullivan interviews Wayne Hsiung and attorney Steffen Seitz about Wayne’s conviction following animal rescues at factory farms in California. The case hinges on several groundbreaking legal arguments, including the judge’s refusal to allow a necessity defense for rescuing suffering animals, constitutional concerns about the treatment of veganism as a belief system, and First Amendment implications for activist speech. This episode explores: How the denial of a necessity defense prevented jurors from considering evidence of animal suffering that could have justified the rescue actions The legal argument that ethical veganism should receive First Amendment protection when it functions as a core belief system similar to a religion The constitutional problems with California’s overly broad “aiding and abetting” statute when applied to protected speech The growing support from prominent legal scholars and organizations like the ACLU, signaling a potential shift in how animal advocacy is viewed in legal circles ABOUT OUR GUESTS Wayne Hsiung is an animal rights lawyer, former faculty member at Northwestern School of Law, and co-founder of The Simple Heart Initiative. He has led teams that have investigated and rescued animals from factory farms and slaughterhouses across the globe and has organized successful campaigns to ban fur in San Francisco and California. He served as lead counsel (and, sometimes, defendant) in five “right to rescue” trials in which activists were prosecuted after being charged for giving aid to sick and dying animals, garnering media attention from The New York Times. He is also a co-founder and former lead organizer of the grassroots animal rights network Direct Action Everywhere.  Wayne’s work has been covered by WIRED, ABC’s Nightline, and on The Ezra Klein Show.  He has published on the right to rescue in Harvard Law Review and climate change’s impact on animals in the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. Prior to his work as an animal advocate, Wayne practiced law at two national firms and studied law and economics at the University of Chicago, where he was an Olin Law and Economics Fellow, and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship. He is the proud parent of Oliver, who was rescued from the dog meat trade.  Follow his work at simpleheart.org.  Steffen Seitz is a litigation fellow for the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project where he represents animal advocates and whistleblowers in a variety of proceedings and conducts academic research. Steffen graduated from Yale Law School in May 2023. As a law student, Steffen was a member of the Yale Animal Law Society and a Law Ethics and Animal Program Student Fellow. He also worked as a legal extern on animal activist cases, particularly those involving the right to rescue. Steffen is interested in criminal law, animal law, social movements, and their intersections. We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. ********** You can listen to the Animal Law Podcast directly on our website (at the top of this page) or you can listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on Apple Podcasts, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment! Of course, we would be thrilled if you would consider making a donation or becoming a member of our flock (especially if you’re a regular listener). Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Don’t forget to also listen to the award-winning,  weekly signature OHH podcast — now in its fifteenth glorious year!

In this thought-provoking episode of The Hen Report, Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan welcome Harvard Law student Akber Khan to discuss the complex intersections of animal rights activism with the unfolding political crisis in America. As political tensions heighten in the US and globally, they explore how animal advocates can effectively position their work within anti-fascist frameworks while navigating challenging conversations about oppression, moral consideration, and strategic activism. This episode explores: Intersectionality in activism: How animal rights connects fundamentally to other social justice movements through shared mechanisms of oppression Legal approaches to animal advocacy: Akber’s experience at Legal Impact for Chickens and the strategy of making animal cruelty a financial liability Building bridges across ideological divides: The potential of religious frameworks and conservative outreach in expanding the animal rights movement Strategic activism vs. vocal protest: The value of “infiltrating spaces” where animal advocates can influence policy from within Finding hope in difficult times: How to maintain optimism and momentum in animal advocacy despite societal resistance and slow progress RESOURCES The New Sentience: Reimagining Animal Poetry  We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Bluesky. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

This episode of Rising Anxieties dissects a New York Review of Books article that acknowledges factory farm horrors while stopping short of the obvious conclusion: stop eating chickens. Mariann cuts through the nonsense of backyard chicken enthusiasts who claim moral superiority while perpetuating exploitation; eye-rolls at legislators who prioritize wolf delisting and “official chicken wing flavors” over meaningful change; and questions the absurdity of addressing cattle methane with band-aid solutions rather than systemic transformation. This episode explores: How cute narratives about “humane” backyard egg production do nothing to change the fact that billions of chickens suffer horrifically to produce eggs  The contradictory messaging of books that acknowledge factory farming horrors while avoiding advocating for veganism Recent legislation targeting cultivated meat with prison sentences while failing to address animal welfare concerns How bipartisan efforts to delist Mexican wolves, gray wolves, and grizzly bears prioritize cattle industry profits over wildlife protection Industry’s desperate attempts to mitigate methane emissions from cattle rather than addressing the root problem of animal agriculture We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today.  Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

This episode explores the hidden realities of fish farming with Laura Lee Cascada, founder of the Aquaculture Accountability Project. Despite being marketed as an environmentally friendly solution to overfishing, aquaculture has created factory farms on water that cause widespread suffering to sea animals, contribute to environmental degradation, and pose serious human health risks. Cascada debunks the industry’s greenwashing tactics and reveals how farmed fishing has actually increased overall fish consumption while failing to reduce, and even increasing, pressure on wild populations. This episode explores: How the aquaculture industry has used deceptive marketing to position itself as environmentally sustainable while creating factory farms on water Why farmed fish operations often require wild-caught fish as feed, intensifying rather than reducing overfishing The severe welfare concerns for sea animals in crowded, disease-prone farming operations The environmental impact of open-net pens that spread disease, waste, and antibiotics into surrounding waters Practical steps institutions and individuals can take to reduce harm to sea animals and oceans ABOUT OUR GUEST Laura Lee Cascada is an environmental advocate and investigative researcher with a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins and 15+ years advancing evidence-based food system change. She founded the Aquaculture Accountability Project to expose misleading sustainability narratives driving industrial fish farming and support a shift to ocean-friendly meals. Previously, her reporting helped shut down Hawaii’s only octopus farm, and she has led campaigns advancing plant-forward commitments across cities and major companies. A freediver and lifelong ocean lover, Laura is driven by a vision for a food system that genuinely protects our oceans. We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Contributions of any amount are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

In this candid episode of The Hen Report, Jasmin and Mariann explore the striking parallels between fascism and animal exploitation while navigating our current political climate. The hosts share their struggles with maintaining focus during times of political upheaval, discussing how the same mechanisms that enable factory farming—othering, dehumanization, and secrecy—mirror tactics used by authoritarian regimes. Despite the heaviness of these topics, they find glimmers of hope in scientific discoveries about animal cognition and the natural empathy children have for animals before socialization teaches them otherwise. This episode explores: How the mechanisms of fascism parallel the systems that enable animal exploitation Maintaining animal activism during times of political uncertainty and fear Recent research showing a cow named Veronica using tools, challenging the cognitive underestimation of farmed animals Evidence that children naturally value animals more equally with humans before cultural conditioning The UK government’s new animal welfare strategy targeting puppy mills, caged farming, and trail hunting RESOURCES Flexible use of a multi-purpose tool by a cow UK Government Overhauls Animal Welfare Strategy To Target Puppy Mills, Caged Farming, And Trail Hunting The development of humans’ moral views of other animals VegMediaWatch Moe Vegan Cafe  We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Bluesky. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

The animal agriculture industry’s nightmares are our fuel this week as Mariann dives into the poultry sector’s desperate scramble to combat the mysterious avian metapneumovirus that’s dethroned bird flu as their top concern. Meanwhile, Big Ag’s dystopian push to expand the H-2A visa program threatens to create a permanent underclass of “temporarily permanent” workers with virtually no rights—because nothing says “ethical industry” like needing indentured servitude to stay profitable. This episode explores: How the poultry industry’s new top threat—avian metapneumovirus (AMPV)—is devastating turkey and broiler operations while raising concerns about potential human transmission The meat and dairy industries’ alarming push to exploit the H-2A visa program by creating a permanent class of vulnerable workers with few rights and no economic mobility Why “improving livability” is the industry’s euphemism for preventing animals from dying before they can be profitably slaughtered How the New World Screwworm parasite is causing cattle futures to collapse as it spreads through Mexico toward the US border The EU’s postponed decision on plant-based food labeling restrictions and new research showing protein-focused marketing could increase plant-based food uptake by over 100%   We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today.  Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

In this thought-provoking interview, Sue Donaldson and Will Kymlicka return to Our Hen House to discuss their groundbreaking new book Animals and the Right to Politics from Oxford University Press. The authors challenge us to move beyond simply acknowledging animals’ moral status and instead recognize them as capable of making collective decisions within their communities, explaining that the “inner citadel of human supremacism” lies not in denying animals’ moral status but in refusing to see them as political beings. Through examples of animal communities demonstrating sophisticated forms of collective decision-making, they explore how expanding our understanding of politics to include non-human animals could create more just relationships between species while critiquing current approaches. This episode explores: How the concept of a “right to politics” differs from traditional animal rights frameworks that focus primarily on moral status Why recognizing animals as political agents requires us to move beyond the “minimal animal” view that only acknowledges their capacity to suffer The limitations of three current approaches to animal advocacy: wardship, critical resistance, and cosmopolitan inclusivity How animal communities demonstrate sophisticated forms of collective decision-making that challenge human supremacist views of politics Why territorial boundaries and “holding environments” are essential for protecting animals’ ability to engage in their own forms of politics ABOUT OUR GUESTS Sue Donaldson is a research associate in the Department of Philosophy, Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada. She is the author of several books, including Zoopolis: A Political Theory of Animal Rights (OUP 2011) and Animals and the Right to Politics (OUP 2025). She is co-convenor of the Animals in Philosophy, Politics, Law, and Ethics research group. Will Kymlicka is a professor in the Philosophy Department at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada, where he has taught since 1998. He has published widely on issues of justice and democracy in multicultural and multispecies societies. With Sue Donaldson, he co-convenes the Animals in Philosophy, Politics, Law and Ethics research group at Queen’s University, including its postdoctoral fellowship program, and teaches courses in animals and political theory and in animals and the law. We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Contributions of any amount are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

In this lively episode of The Hen Report, hosts Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan navigate the evolving landscape of animal advocacy with their signature blend of wit and wisdom. From discussing the first recorded death from “meat tick” syndrome to analyzing a New York Times article on grass-fed beef’s environmental impact, they balance serious animal rights content with moments of levity. The conversation shifts to examine claims about veganism’s supposed decline, with the hosts offering a more nuanced perspective: while vegan restaurants may be closing in some areas, plant-based options are becoming mainstream across regular establishments, suggesting not a retreat but a transformation in how veganism integrates into society. This episode explores: The surprising spread of Alpha-Gal Syndrome (the “meat tick”) and its first recorded fatality New York Times’ honest coverage of the environmental impact of grass-fed beef The inspiring journey of Buddhist monks walking for peace with their rescued dog A critical analysis of recent claims about veganism’s decline in popularity The ongoing success of animal advocacy through increasing plant-based options RESOURCES First Death Documented From Tick-Induced Meat Allergy Is Grass-Fed Beef Really Better for the Climate? Walk for Peace USA on Facebook Aloka the Peace Dog has successful surgery. When will he join the monks? Not-Guilty Verdict For Beagle Puppy Rescuers In Landmark Legal Case How Veganism Got Cooked Prioritze Plant Protein messaging guide GFI’s Messaging to drive consumer adoption of plant-based meat Report: Google Searches for Veganism Outpace Those for Climate Change, While Flexitarianism is Now Mainstream Globally Christspiracy  We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Bluesky. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

In this entertaining episode of Rising Anxieties, Mariann Sullivan and legal expert Michael Dorf dive headfirst into the bizarre world of RFK Jr.’s controversial new food pyramid and dietary guidelines. With equal parts horror and humor, they dissect how these scientifically questionable recommendations prioritize beef consumption while dismissing plant-based diets through deeply flawed analysis. The episode explores the concerning environmental implications of increased meat consumption, the contradictory nature of the guidelines themselves, and the meat industry’s desperate attempts to maintain relevance despite growing public awareness of factory farming cruelty. This episode explores: How the new upside-down food pyramid contradicts established nutrition science while promoting excessive animal product consumption The environmental consequences of increasing protein intake through animal sources, requiring land area larger than multiple states combined Why 71% of Americans oppose common factory farming practices despite continuing to consume factory-farmed products The influence of industry representatives in reshaping federal dietary guidelines against expert recommendations How these guidelines impact federal programs including school lunches, military meals, and SNAP benefits We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today.  Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.